Maries' POV
When I opened my eyes, I silently freaked out. Someones arms were around me and I had no idea where I was. After a moment, I remembered what had happened. Then I realized that the pair of arms around me were Nialls arms. I was actually quite comfortable.
I jumped about a mile when Liam spoke, "She's awake. Marie, you never told us where you lived, so we couldn't take you home last night." Oh.
"Wait, what time is it?" I asked. I didn't have a watch and my iPod was broken from my fall.
Liam looked at his phone and said, "Its about nine in the morning. You slept all night." At this moment, Naill started moving.
The first words out of his mouth when he opened his eyes were, "I'm hungry."
"Hi, Hungry. I'm Marie. Nice to meet you," I said. I smiled when he laughed at my terrible attempt at a joke. He was the only one.
"So, where do you live?" Zayn asked. Then I noticed what was missing: the sound of screaming fans. They must have all gone home. This meant that I could catch a taxi. Yay.
"Actually, I think the fans are gone. So I can just take a taxi home. You don't need to drive me," I said. Niall sighed, seeing where this conversation was going. They had only known me for a few hours and they already knew my stubborn side.
"Fine, but I'm walking you to the taxi and paying for it," Niall said. That boy must feel really guilty if he was willing to pay for my ride. But I took the offer, because I was sure he wouldn't back down any other way.
I got off of the couch and stiffled a groan. You know that phrase 'It's gonna hurt in the morning'? I'd like to meet the person who invented that phrase and kick their ass, excuse my language. My back was hurting something awful as were my wrist and ankle.
I think Louis must have seen the look on my face, cause' he said, "Do you need some aspirin, Marie?" Against my better judgement I nodded.
Niall looked worried and asked, "Are you okay, Marie? You look a little pale and you're shaking. Why don't you sit down for a while? You can go home later."
"Yes, okay, and no," I said, answering his questions. I sat back down on the couch and Louis brought me some aspirin and water. Thanking him, I swallowed the pills.
"Why can't you stay?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, you need to relax for a bit," Liam said.
"I really have to go home now," I answered. Truth was, I was expecting my monthly call from my father some time today. I wouldn't miss that for the world.
Niall sighed and got up. He offered me his hand and I took it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I winced but walked towards the door. We were about to leave when I was engulfed in a huge group hug. I laughed, even though it caused me pain. I felt something being pushed into my pocket; I decided to check it out later.
"Dont fall down any more stairs!" Louis yelled in my ear. I yelped and covered my ears. Louis grabbed my wrists and wrenched them apart. He continued shouting, "Be careful! Eat your vegetables! No sex is safe sex!"
"Louis! Stop!" I shouted over him while laughing. Liam and Zayn were literally rolling on the ground laughing. Harry had tears of joy running down his face and Niall was just laughing his adorable laugh.
Louis looked startled, as if he hadn't exactly known what he was saying. Oh, that poor boy, he really did belong in an insane assylum.
Still laughing, Niall guided me out of the tour bus and we walked towards the mall, because there were usually a few taxis waiting there.
We were silent for a few minutes, until Niall said in his adorable Irish accent, "So, Marie. Would you like to eat something in the mall before you go home?"
I thought about it for a minute. My father didn't usually call until the afternoon, so I probably had enough time. But why would Niall want to spend more time with me? I was the pathetic loser most people ignored. I thought about it for a minute before I answered.
"Yeah, okay. I'd like that," I smiled at him. He returned the grin and pinched my cheek.
"Youch! What was that for?" I rubbed my cheek.
"You're just so cute, I had to do that!" He laughed and for some reason blushed. I could feel myself blushing, too. Why would he say something like that?
Niall coughed and said, "As Zayn would say during an awkward moment, Vas Happenen'?" I giggled. It certainly was an awkward moment. But Zayns' famous phrase dissolved the awkwardness.
"Hey, you're limping!" Naill said.
"I'm fine. I just twisted it a little. No need to make a fuss, Niall," I said.
"But I'm the one who did that to you!" he shouted. I mentally facepalmed. How many times was I gonna' have to tell him to forget about it? It was just as much my fault, too. I was the one who was playing with my iPod instead of watching where I was going.
Groaning, I told him, "Like I've said before, it isn't all your fault! I wasn't paying attention, either. So you should just forget about it."
Before I could protest, Niall wrapped his arms around me in a hug. It was painful and comfortable at the same time, if that makes any sense. We just stood in the middle of the mall parking lot hugging for about five minutes. Finally, Niall drew back and we resumed walking. This time, he reached for my hand and we ended up walking hand in hand all the way to the mall.
"Where do you want to eat? I'm paying cause' since I work here, I have discounts," I said. Yep, working at a Hollisters outlet had it's benifits, other than the pay.
But Niall had other ideas. He playfully slapped my arm and said, "Not a chance. Breakfast is on me today." After a minute I shrugged and said, "Fine, I'm not one to pass up a free meal!" He laughed and smiled at me with his perfectly imperfect teeth.
"Do you want to eat at IHOP? It's right down the street," Niall said. I turned my head towards him so fast that my neck popped painfully. Niall laughed loudly as I massaged my neck.
"Yeah, IHOP sounds great," I said, when he'd finally stopped laughing. That settled, we resumed walking hand in hand to the IHOP. It was about a ten minute walk and by the time we reached the resturant, my ankle was on fire. Even this early in the morning, there was a waiting list to get in. Niall motioned for me to take a seat on a bench and he walked into the IHOP. I sat down with a sigh of relief. Leaning over, I pulled my right pant leg up enough to see my ankle. It was swollen and red.
Suddenly, Niall was in front of me again. Seeing my ankle, he knelt down and took it in his hands. I yelped when he touched it and he jerked away, an apology written all over his face.
"I think you should see a doctor, Marie. I'll pay for the medical bills," Niall said, staring into my eyes. But I avoided his gaze and said, "No, thanks. It'll be fine in a day or two. So how long do we have to wait for a table?"
Niall stared at me for a moment but eventually he decided to take the subject change and said, "Oh, I pulled a few strings. We can go in now." He winked.
I blinked and just decided to go with it. I stood up and followed Niall into the IHOP and we were escorted to a booth. Instead of sitting across from me like I expected, Niall scooched in right next to me. The waitress handed us the menus and I began looking through it. I decided on pancakes (duh!) and sausage with scrambled eggs.
When I told Niall what I wanted, he laughed and said, "I was thinking the same thing!" When the waitress came around again, Niall gave her our order and she walked away.
I had thought that this would be very awkward, just sitting waiting for our food, but I had forgotten one very important thing: this boy was Niall Horan. He had me laughing at his silly jokes the whole time.
When our food finally came, we ate it very fast. When he was finished, he let out a loud belch. I raised an eyebrow and he said, "Excuse me."
"You're excused," I said and we both bust out laughing again. It was then that I remembered that one of the boys had put something in my pocket. It turned out to be a ... Carrot!
I showed it to Niall and we said two different things at the same time.
"That boy is crazy," I said.
"He needs to be in an insane assylum," Niall said.
We looked at each other and practically fell out of the booth laughing.
A/N: Please leave a reveiw! :)